Not Just a Sidekick (The Jade Wilson Theory)
by ChangelingAmbassador
Summary: AU where Slade and Jade are siblings! Jade Wilson hadn’t intended on becoming such a wicked woman. Her brother Slade had worked his butt off, doing all the work she needed for her Doomsday Device while she nimbly lied her way around the clock. Now she is to be punished for her crimes against humanity. The catch to avoid jailtime? She must become Robin’s sidekick
1. Introduction

It had been seven months since Jade's Doomsday had been thwarted. She didn't understand how she had failed either. She had her brother's help. Slade had worked his butt off, stealing all of those priceless items to help power her device to bring an end to free will. Everyone would have wanted to watch her movies and only her movies. She had been so close to having it all. And yet? She had been defeated. Her brother had put up a good fight, in a giant robot suit no less! But, he lost. To the Titans of all people. The Titans! The stupid, bumbling idiots of Jump City!

Perhaps you misjudged them, the still, small voice said in her head. Jade groaned and turned over in her bed. She hadn't been herself since she had been shipped off to Gotham to be put as far away from Slade as possible. She was currently under house arrest, ankle bracelet and all. It was giving her trouble. Putting on jeans was impossible and taking a bath was obnoxious. Actually, she hadn't really taken a bath or changed her clothes recently. She had hardly even gotten out of bed as of late. She didn't care. It's not like she was allowed to see anyone besides her parole officer.

Laying back in bed, she watched the fan on the ceiling, her crystal blue eyes following the blades as they drifted slowly. Despite her time in bed, she hadn't been sleeping. There were bags under her eyes. Her world began to slowly fade away as she stared, listening to the nearby clock. She might as well have gone insane as she left reality. Oh, how badly she wanted to be.

Insane. Everything would pass by in the blink of an eye if she were, right? It's like a good horror movie. Insane people have little to no idea what they were doing wrong. She wished she had no reconciliation of her crimes. Then she could have something more than spite to be sorry about. Her eyes closed as she reentered her cavern of loneliness once again. It all came together. She and her brother might have succeeded. They might have been the richest, coolest, most worshipped people in the universe. But, alas, she-

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Wilson! Open up! You have a visitor!"

Jade's eyes opened slowly. She lay in bed for a while longer. God, her head hurt.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Wilson!! Don't play this crap with me again! Open your door!"

Jade slowly sat up, feeling pain in every joint. She stretched awkwardly. She stumbled from bed and held onto the door frame of her room, suddenly feeling like she was going to throw up. It was only natural. She had felt this was before. If only that officer would stop pounding on her door.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"I'm comin'! I'm comin'!" Jade shouted, her voice carrying through the thin walls of the house. The banging finally stopped to her delight. She half considered just going back to bed, but she knew the consequences of ignoring her parole officer. She did not want to get shocked into oblivion again. She tried her best to reach the door without falling, but her head and stomach both were screaming at her to stop moving so she ended up collapsing finally just before she reached the door. She crumbled, tears pricking her eyes and clutching her stomach to the carpeted floor.

Outside, she could hear the Gotham accent of her usual parole officer.

"She usually does this. Takes her a bit to get to the door. I electrocuted her the first time but I realized that she was just having issues with her stomach, not that she was ignoring me," The Officer was explaining. A second voice piped up. It intrigued her ears.

"Sounds a bit harsh to electrocute someone, don't you think?" The newcomer was saying, which caused the officer to laugh.

"Nope! She tried to take over the world, if you can recall. If it were up to me, she'd be completely dead!" He laughed. He then paused. "But, of course, I'm not gonna."

"All life has value, Mr. Clyde," the second voice replied. He sounded much younger than Jade's parole officer. There was a familiar rasp in his voice that she couldn't put her finger on. Curiosity got the better of her and she slowly reached toward her doorknob while standing up. It was an excruciating process but she somehow managed to turn the handle.

Throwing open the door, with a look of severe annoyance and agony, she flinched as her own body failed to register anything for a few moments. Her parole officer pushed her aside rather gently, almost paying her no mind. Jade let out a pathetic whimper as she was grasped firmly by her shoulders by the officer's gloved hands.

"Here she is, Boy Wonder. Your..." He paused to throw in a mocking tone. "... Arch enemy! She totally looks scary, huh?"

When Jade made eye contact with Robin, she flinched. Oh, boy. This is going to be fun, She thought, feeling her officer's fingers digging into her shoulders.

"Hey, be gentle," Robin commanded simply, giving the officer a glare.

"Don't worry. She don't feel a thing. She's half brain dead anyhow," The Officer said with a sickening grin. "Welp, Mr. Castle will be picking you up in a chopper in about an hour. Have her ready by then!"

He then gave Jade a violent clap on the back. It might have just been a shove because Jade practically collided with Robin's chest. The parole officer stomped from the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

"H-hold on a second," Robin said quickly. She could feel the hero lift her up slightly, so that she was back on her feet.

"Please. Don't," Jade replied, pulling herself off of the hero, despite her pounding head and aching body. She sat herself down on the couch, rubbing her temples.

"Geez, you look awful," Robin said, plopping himself down on the floor. Jade thought that was rather weird but then she realized that Robin was probably way too polite to sit on anything she- oh wait.

Her whole house was a mess. There was a pile on every flat surface. Ugh, just great.

"Why are you here?" Jade growled.

Robin sighed softly, rubbing his knee in sorrow. She could tell that he thought this whole situation was depressing. Robin was wearing causal wear which consisted of a plain white T-Shirt and a pair of blue jeans. He had no mask to cover the nasty scar on his eye. Both of them however, were a dark ocean blue. Jade realized she had never seen his eyes before.

"Your brother has currently-"

"I don't want to hear about my brother. Why are you here?" She snapped, her nose scrunching up with utter disgust.

"I was forced to come here by the Worldly Superhero Assembly," Robin confessed. Jade sucked in a breath as she recognized the name of the company that paid the Titans.

"Why?"

"I chose to come because I wanted to check on you the most. I was technically voted to..." He paused, taking in a huge breath. "Reform you," He said.

Jade felt her mouth fall open for a moment.

"No."

"I know, I know. That's what I said. But, um... I wasn't allowed to say no and you're not either. I'm sorry, but... this is happening now," Robin said, his voice painfully uncertain. Jade could feel anger stir inside her.

"Robin, I'm not going to let you babysit me. I'm fine with my parole officer."

"That's problem numero dos... You have to... God, I can't believe I have to say this... come with me to where I'm staying. The Worldly Superhero Assembly has declared that you use your powers for the benefit of humankind and-"

"What?!" Jade interrupted. "Are you saying that I am being forced into super-heroism?!" Jade practically yelled.

Robin pursed his lips. "Yeah. But, then comes in the next big deal..."

"Oh, please don't say anything more," Jade quietly begged.

"Now that I am working in Gotham again The Assembly has declared that I..."

"Don't."

"Need..."

"Please."

"...A Sidekick."

"God dammit!" Jade said angrily. "But, why?!"

"I-I don't know! This was just thrown at my face like, an hour ago!" Robin replied. "I don't want this any more than you do, Jade!"

Jade put her face into her hands.

"This is going to be hell."

After a few moments, Jade felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm really sorry... seriously, I am," Robin said, a pitying tone in his voice.

"I hate you," Jade replied, not able to look the hero in the eye.

"I know. Look, Jade, why don't you... go take a shower. They're expecting us... soon," Robin said, gently giving her a pat on the back. "Seriously, I'm so sorry. I know this is a lot to hear at once."

"This is going to be hell."

"It can't be that bad. It can't be, okay? But, I promise I'll try my best to help you."

"I don't need your help," Jade practically hissed, swatting his hand away.

"You say that, but... honestly, you need a lot of help," Robin said. Jade could hear his footsteps go towards her kitchen.

Why he just didn't go out the door was a mystery to her.


	2. Chapter 1

Robin craned his neck to the side as he heard the shower water start to run. He bit his lip as he scanned the kitchen. It was cleaner than the rest of the house. When was the last time she ate? He worried. Is she trying to starve herself to death? This kitchen looks untouched. She did look horribly skinny.

Robin looked around the rest of the house, seeing piles of clothing all askew and random litter like candy wrappers. It looked like Jade had also started drawing to counteract boredom. There were drawings of superheroes on the walls and floors everywhere he looked. I shouldn't feel this bad for her, but I do, Robin thought.

And, thus, he began to clean. He started with picking up. His OCD was really chipping away as he did. He managed to clean several rooms all within a few minutes. It didn't take long for him to find a vacuum cleaner either. He rather enjoyed the look of the rooms after he cleaned them. He brushed some of his spiked hair out of his face.

Food. She needs food.

Robin tracked back to the kitchen and opened the fridge. It was rather full. Robin guessed it was because Jade failed to eat anything that her officer dropped off. He pulled a few things from the fridge and started cooking.

It wasn't long before he heard Jade come into the room behind him.

"Hey, darling," Robin greeted, turning his back on the stove to face her. Jade was wearing a light green T-Shirt and a pair of blue shorts. The shorts had a small stain on them and the shirt was unclean. There were dark underlines under her eyes and her expression was droopy and unamused. Her hair was wet from her shower, but it still was matted. She looked all skin and bones.

"What are you making?" She asked, her voice weak as it had been the last time they talked.

"Tacos. For you," Robin said, pulling out a plate from a cupboard. He carefully placed a tortilla on the plate after removing it from the stove. He put some beef into it and added a sprinkle of cheese on the top, then he folded it up. He clicked the stove off.

Jade sat down at the small table in the corner and waited for him to join her. Robin brought her two tocos, placing them in front of her. She flinched, which didn't go unnoticed.

"Jade, I'm not going to hurt you, darling," Robin said, grinning at her. Jade still wouldn't look him in the eye. Robin sat across from her, scooting himself into the table. He watched as Jade took an agonizingly slow and cautious bite of the toco. It was then Robin realized that she was having trouble swallowing. It was a bit awkward.

"So... this whole superhero thing? Do I need to do it?" Jade asked, placing her bitten toco back on her plate.

"Unfortunately, yes. I have a document somewhere in my backpack that says so. They didn't tell me that it was apart of your sentence. I'm sorry," Robin replied.

"I didn't know either. Isn't something like that against the law?" Jade asked.

"Not that I know of, but it should be. Although, forgive me for this, when was the last time you ate?" Robin asked, his eyes flicking down toward Jade's unhealthily skinny torso.

"I ate a candy bar yesterday, but... that was about it. Just small things. No actual meals," Jade admitted, to which she picked up her toco again. She took another bite.

"Is it any good?" Robin asked, and Jade nodded in response. Her angelic face was way thinner than it should have been. She had really been hurting herself. It made Robin incredibly sad to see someone he had once considered a friend to be in this state.

"Robin?"

"Yes, darling?"

"You didn't need to clean up my house. It's not like I'm..." She paused to chew. "It's not like I'm going to be living here for much longer anyway," Jade said. Her jaw was almost slacked, like eating caused her pain.

"I know but... I'm kind of OCD. I like to clean stuff. It felt better to do so at the time," Robin explained, tapping his finger on the table. He then took notice of Jade's hair again. "Oh, hold on, one moment," He said, getting up from the table. Jade gave him a look of confusion but fear filled her eyes as Robin pulled a pair of scissors out of a drawer.

"Robin, don't-"

"Jade, I'm not going to cut you," Robin said, giving her a look like she had two heads. Jade seemed to retreat back to a somber, dead expression. Robin approached her, carefully. "I'm just gonna cut your hair, alright? I promise I'm not going to hurt you," Robin said, moving behind her chair.

"Alright," Jade agreed, straightening her back. Robin pulled a comb out of his pocket. It was something he kept just in case he needed to fix his hair after a fight. He gently began to comb the better looking parts of her scalp, doing his best to straighten the hair. He began to make cuts on the parts that were too damaged to spare. It bugged him whenever Jade jumped, however.

"Do you really think that I'm going to cut you, darling?" He asked.

There was a moment of silence. "Do you call everyone 'darling'?" Jade asked.

"Actually, yeah. It's a habit of mine," Robin said, combing through small knots in Jade's hair. She had managed to get halfway through her first toco, but it barely looked like a dent to her.

"Robin, am I going to have to... actually be a superhero?" Jade asked, seemingly anxious.

"Probably not. It's against human rights to force someone to punch another person," Robin explained, finishing the final touches on her hair. "There. We're all done," He said.

"Thank you," Jade said, her voice cracking. Robin felt his heart break a little.

"Okay, Jade. I'm going to go do some laundry. Can you finish eating that?" Robin said simply, smiling at the older woman. Jade met his dark sky eyes for just a moment, her electric blue eyes cold and almost guilty. She nodded. Robin said nothing more and exited the room.

Robin sighed softly. The depression was almost crushing, so much so to the point where he needed to leave the room to breathe. He couldn't be in this house for much longer. It was so pitiful to see the once strong and powerful Jade Wilson, CEO of Hollywood Productions, in a house that was her cell, starving herself, refusing to bathe, in puddles of her own shame.

She tried to kill me and she blew up my house, Robin reminded himself. He picked up a pile of clothes and began searching Jade's house for the washing machine. He found the laundry room and began doing a few loads of laundry, carefully folding the clothes as they finished. He packed some of them into a suitcase. She really fell apart, Robin thought. He was about to turn away from the room when a picture on the wall caught his eye.

It was framed and the picture was faded, like it had been taken a long time ago. He immediately recognized Jade, who looked to be younger than himself in the photo. She was in a graduation outfit and she was holding a degree. She was standing next to a tall man that looked like he might have been related to her. They were both smiling at the camera and the older man next to Jade looked very proud of her. Robin guessed it might have been Slade, but he couldn't be sure.

Back in the kitchen, Jade had eaten her tocos a little too fast and was leaning over the sink, trying to keep it down. She had been hungry but she had ignored the fact that her body hated food at the moment. The food had been amazing and it had taken so much of her energy to eat it. It would be a shame to throw it up.

Robin packed some clothing in a spare suitcase. He figured that he could ask Jade to find the other things she'd like to keep. However, Robin was alerted when he got a text from Cyborg. He hung outside the kitchen entryway and pulled out his phone.

"Slade's a blast, man. Yes, that was sarcastic. We're so lucky we got Aqualad over here. Have you found out what villain you're gonna be reforming?" The text said. Robin quickly answered.

"Yeah, It's his sister. Don't tell him yet. She's is a really bad state. When I tried to bring up Slade, she snapped and got mad. I'm taking her back to Mr. Castle's establishment in about thirty minutes. Is Slade any better?" Robin texted, before tucking his phone in his pocket. He entered the kitchen.

"Hey, Ja-" He stopped, realizing Jade was no longer in her seat but instead, doubled over at the sink. "Jade are you okay?" He asked.

"Water," Jade responded, her voice shaky and weak.

"Oh, oh, yes, of course!" Robin said quickly and then he rushed over to the fridge and cracked open a water bottle. "Here, darling, drink slow," He instructed, passing it to her. Jade snatched it from him and nearly chugged the whole thing.

"That was awful," Jade grumbled, wiping some spit off of her lip.

"You must feel woozy because your body's metabolism is all wonky from starvation. Your immune system is attacking itself," Robin said, pulling a handkerchief out of his shirt pocket. He handed it to Jade, who used it to dab her lip.

"What are you, a doctor?" Jade asked, rhetorically.

"No, but I did pass high school with flying colors," Robin said, grinning happily. Jade blinked at him.

"Uh-hah," She said. It wasn't exactly a laugh. It was just a sound, sort of. Robin shifted awkwardly.

"So, hey, we're going to be leaving soon. I'm not sure when exactly, just within the next hour. Could you go pack some special things you need? And some shoes. I packed you your clothes already," Robin said, grinning at the ex-villain. Jade didn't smile back.

"Sure. I guess I have no choice anyway," She murmured and began to walk out of the room.

"Oh, and Jade?"

"Yeah?"

"If you have any questions, I can answer on the way, okay, darling?"


	3. Chapter 2

"Ah! Mr. Grayson and Miss Wilson! Welcome!" Mr. Castle greeted as Robin helped Jade off the chopper. He was a dashing man, with slick, black hair and a suit with a tie. He firmly shook Robin's hand.

"Hello, Mr. Castle," Robin said politely. "Uh, please call me Robin."

"Alrighty, then! Robin it is," Mr. Castle said, placing his hand on the super's back. "Do you know why I started this movement? The movement being of reforming baddies, of course!"

"Um... because you believe there's good in everyone?" Robin asked.

"Exactly! Now, come with me and I'll show you to your rooms. Does Wilson still have her ankle bracelet on?" Castle said.

"Um, yes sir, she does," Robin replied, taking a cautionary glance at Jade, who still had the bracelet on her leg.

"Good! I've connected up the bracelet with that thingamajig on your arm!" Mr. Castle said proudly. Robin glanced down at his wrist, where his watch was. He opened up the digital area and there was a single small dot, along with a map of the area. "See that green dot? That's Wilson! This is how you can see what she's doing at all times," Castle explained, pointing to the screen.

"Um, so I can... watch her whenever I want?" Robin asked.

"Yup! Although, the next few things are better to be discussed in private," Castle said, delightful smile on his face. Robin's attention was caught when Jade snickered.

"Is there something wrong?" Robin asked the ex-villain.

"Punishments. He wants to discuss punishments in private," Jade said, to which Robin felt himself cringe.

"Oh..."

"Don't be alarmed, Robin! It's nothing that you can't handle. Now, come with me and I'll lead you to the places you'll be staying."

The Castle Facility was like a giant hotel. When Robin and Jade first got to their rooms, the bellboy started putting their things away. Jade's wrists were bound by anti-superpower cuffs, which Robin thought was very weird because Jade was just a normal person, after all. The bellboy gave Robin a key.

"Mr. Castle told me to tell you that you can take those cuffs off and on when you feel like you need to," The bellboy said, a somber smile on his face. He stepped out of the room and closed the door.

"If you don't feel comfortable with-" Jade started, but she stopped when Robin unlocked her cuffs.

"You don't need to be caged up like an animal," Robin said, smiling at Jade. The older woman felt a bit of relief as the pressure cuffs fell off her.

"You didn't need to do that," Jade said, rubbing her sore wrists.

"I know. But, this goes against everything I've been taught as a superhero. Not to mention human decency," Robin explained, placing the cuffs on a nearby table. Jade sunk into a chair while Robin checked his phone.

Yikes. How long you staying in Gotham? Cyborg's text said.

Robin: Nine months. Can you survive that long?

Cyborg: Yeah. It's you I'm worried about.

Robin: I'll be fine. Jade's very malnourished and practically dead. I'm going to do whatever I can to help her. Hopefully, she'll be reunited with her brother too.

Cyborg: Aqualad told me to tell you that Slade misses his sister too.

"Robin, are you okay?" Jade asked, which nearly made the super jump.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I'm just a little confused by all this," Robin explained, rubbing the back of his neck. He saw her ice cold eyes shift downward as he looked up. He knew she was ashamed. Her angelic face was worn thin. She was tired and her bones were practically sticking out of her skin.

"I... I'm sorry," Jade said, her legs crossed, and her body packed in tightly. "I didn't mean to go that far. It's just... you were in my way and..." She paused, seeming to flinch as Robin sat across from her. But, nevertheless, the older woman continued.

"It's always been easy for me to get what I want, but, what I wanted was... not good. I tried to take away people's free will so that I could be the best movie creator ever. It was wrong of me. But, then you came around."

She glanced up at him, just to make sure he was still listening. His blue eyes were focused on her. He looked completely relaxed, with one leg crossed over the other, sitting back, like they were still in Hollywood, lounging around in some back room, chatting and eating peanut butter crackers.

"... But when I pose in a seashell, I'm "high on my attention span medicine" and "am no longer welcome in the aquarium." Like, how was I supposed to know that wasn't what it was for?" Jade joked. Robin snorted, his glimmering smile never failing to amuse Jade.

"Something like that happened with Beast Boy, but he was yelled at by a director for being a biologically mutated seal," Robin said. He received a small tap on the ankle from Jade's boot.

"Gah, I enjoy your company, Red," Jade said, hanging her head backwards over the couch's armrest. She felt completely calm around him, even though only she knew that it was all a lie. She felt a little bad about it.

Jade felt herself snap back to the present. While the memory was pleasant, it wasn't completely welcome. She looked back down at the floor again.

"I wanted to stop, but..." Jade found she was fighting tears. She quickly wiped them, determined not to let the hero see her break even more than she already had. She was just about to continue her apology but Robin spoke up again.

"You wanted... to stop?" He said.

"Stop my Doomsday. I wanted to stop," She confessed.

There was silence. A thick, heavy tension settled onto Jade's chest.

"I was going to stop. I was going to pay my brother the money I owed him and cut off all my plans and stop my machine and just continue making movies the way I used to, even if it might've upset him," Jade explained. She had never even told herself these facts, so it was hitting her like a blow to the stomach.

"So, why didn't you?" Robin asked. He didn't know how to describe how he was feeling.

"I didn't want to... I... I don't know. I just... didn't. When I was going to stop, I realized it was all too late."

Jade took several deep breaths in to keep herself from sobbing.

"I know I'm a terrible person inside. I lied to you and everyone else in my life. I went too far. I'm sorry," Jade said.

Robin wasn't all too sure what to do at this point. He knew that physical comfort was a no, but he didn't know what to say.

"Thank you for telling me," He decided, adjusting his glasses. "Um, do you need anything?" He asked.

"No," Jade said. She was ultimately proven wrong when her stomach imitated a dying whale noise. Jade cursed her stomach for ratting her out.

"Looks like you're still hungry. I think we ought to go get something to eat," Robin said, standing up. Jade retreated back to her (now) usual unamused expression.

"Sure. Not like I have a choice," Jade said.

"You do actually. We don't have to," Robin said, grinning at her as he watched her stand. He had gotten taller since the last time they had seen each other. She was only about a few inches above him now.

"No, it's fine," Jade replied. "I know you only mean well. I mean... Gosh, you're really nice."

"Hey, now. I can't have you mad at me. I know what you can do with a sword," Robin chuckled, which set a small grin on Jade's face, but it faltered.

"I... I'm not going to try that again. I think I've completely given up on ever holding a weapon again," Jade said.

Robin's gaze softened. "Sorry, darling," He said, shrugging a bit. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah, we shall," Jade replied, grin returning to her face. In truth, she felt a lot better about finally being able to tell him she was sorry.

Even though the sun was shining, it was a little bit windy. The café was almost silent. Jade's first time leaving her house in months was awkward to her. No one knew her in Gotham, which she was glad about. It was awkward in a way that she was following a younger man around, wearing clothing that had not been washed in weeks. Her ankle bracelet wasn't appealing at all, either. She and Robin sat down at a table indoors, and ordered a late lunch.

"I'm guessing you're used to hiding from paparazzi, huh?" Robin said, grinning.

"Yeah. Usually I'd be more fashion forward than this," Jade said, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear. A blush came to her face as she remembered she still had a huge stain on her shirt. "I wish I had changed before we left."

"Don't worry, darling. I think you look nice regardless," Robin complimented, swirling his fork around a noodle.

"You're just saying that," Jade said, taking a bite of her salad. She almost choked on how nasty it tasted.

"How's the food?" Robin asked.

"Horrible," Jade responded.

"Maybe you'd like more than just a salad then?" Robin said, grinning as he gestured with his fork.

"Not likely. My whole body hates me right now," Jade said, placing her chin on her hands.

Robin drummed his fingers on the table. "We gotta fix that," The 19-year-old superhero said, the warmth and friendliness not leaving his voice. Jade felt a guilty chill run down her spine.

"Robin?" She said.

"Yes?"

"W... what's your name?" She asked.

Robin blinked at her, cocking his eyebrow. "My name?"

"Your normal name. I meant, like, your non-super name," She corrected, brushing her hair behind her ear again, nervously. The super paused for a moment, before he grinned.

"Grayson. Richard Grayson."o


	4. Chapter 3

Robin stared up at the Hollywood Productions building. On top, he could see Jade's figure, wearing her green suit. Her arms were crossed and her eyes were fixed on the full moon. Robin was genuinely curious, so he propped his foot up on the wall and quickly scaled the building.

"Miss Wilson?" He said. Jade's blue eyes swept the corner of her vision.

"Good evening," She greeted, not turning to face him. She was bent forward and her arms were folded in front of her, supporting herself. She sounded calm instead of her usually cheerful demeanor. Robin found that he was grinning to himself as he propped himself up on the little wall, sitting near to where she was standing.

"You're looking stunning tonight," He said, crossing his ankles. Jade grinned softly, her soft pink lips separating to reveal her pearly white teeth, just for a moment.

"You're not too bad yourself," Jade said. "So, what made you visit me tonight?"

"Well, I just couldn't sleep so I took a walk. I saw you up here so I thought I'd go say hi," Robin explained, to which Jade huffed at.

"You never went to sleep."

"What?"

"You might be a superhero, but I know that superheroes don't just sleep in their dirty suits," Jade said, gesturing at his outfit with her eyes. He didn't know how she could somehow "gesture" with her eyes, but it was obvious that it was what she was doing.

"Yeah, you're right. I've been walking around since nine 'o clock," Robin said.

"Same. Except I've been taking calls and doing paperwork. I came up here to take my mind off things," Jade said, her eyes scanning the inky sky above them. "And, you know, directing and all that jazz."

Robin and Jade both looked up at the twinkling stars.

"These stars are so beautiful. I bet you can't see them too well in the city," Jade muttered, mostly to herself, but loud enough for the super to hear.

"Actually, you can see them just fine from where I live. I can take you there some time," Robin suggested. Jade's eyes fixed on him as she turned her head.

"To... to the Titan Tower?" She asked.

Robin felt himself shudder as he realized he might have made a mistake.

"Um... um.. I mean, yeah, if you would... if you're not too busy..." He stammered.

"That would be lovely," Jade said, snapping him out of his awkward mess of a predicament. The older woman sighed as she stretched out a bit. She looked relaxed. It sent happy chills down the hero's back. He didn't know why, but seeing Jade content made him feel better.

"So, uh, did something happen between you and your dad?" Jade asked.

"My what?" Robin replied.

"Batman. I've noticed you've been avoiding him," Jade mentioned, resting her chin in her palm.

"Oh... you noticed that," Robin said.

"Yeah. Want to talk about it?" Jade asked.

Robin wasn't too sure if he was ready to talk about his daddy issues just yet. "Not particularly."

"I've never been close to my father either," Jade said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Really?"

"He'd often tell me that I was unloveable or ugly in my teens. That's why I moved away when I was just fifteen. My house was too toxic. The only family I really have now is my brother and his daughter," Jade explained, her hand drawing circles on the superhero's shoulder as she spoke.

"Bruce isn't... I mean, Batman isn't like that," Robin said.

"It's okay, you can just call him Bruce. Everyone knows," Jade giggled. Robin smiled too and hopped off the ledge.

"Your father called you ugly?"

"Yeah. And a few other things that wouldn't be appropriate to say on TV, but, uh-huh," Jade responded.

Robin sighed. "That's stupid. Because... well... God, you're so beautiful."

By the time he finished his statement, there was a blush underneath his mask. He wasn't sure if he regretted saying it. But, then, he knew he didn't when Jade's eyes lit up a bit.

"That... was refreshing to hear," She said, her words coming out like a breathy sigh, but only for that moment.

Robin reached his hand out. "Come with me," He said. It wasn't a demand, just an offer. But, Jade took it anyway. As the hero lifted Jade into his arms, he could feel her brace against him. He suddenly felt a pang of jealousy as he remembered that the woman worked with superheroes and had probably been carried by them before. But, he quickly pushed the feeling aside and put the woman under his arm.

"Hold on," Robin said. Jade leaned into his chest as he jumped off the roof. With his grappling hook, they flew in the night together. He could feel Jade's bated breath each time they descended before he caught them. Jade was bracing with him as if she knew when he was going to pull upwards with his hook. Carrying her was fun because she cooperated. It wasn't long before they landed.

"The park?" Jade asked.

"Yep."

"The park. At 3:00am."

Robin chuckled. "Not the best, I know. But, I came here a few days ago after filming to clear my head and it actually worked. There was something about this place that made me feel good," He explained.

"I can see why," Jade replied. She sat on a bench. "Thank you, Robin. This is so nice."

"It's not a problem. Cheering you up is so worth the trouble," Robin replied, sitting next to her. He glanced at Jade, who stretched out again.

"That's adorable," Robin said quickly.

"Hmm?" She looked at him.

"That stretch. It's adorable," Robin repeated, trying to play it cool, but ended up with a cracking voice. Jade's lips separated as if she were going to say something. Instead, her tongue quickly took a small tour of them. Her face flushed nicely.

"Say that again? I didn't hear," She lied, giving him a certain look that made his heart skip a beat.

"You're... you're adorable," He repeated, bringing his gloved hand up to his face to block any sort of blush from being seen.

"Good to hear," She said. Despite her mature response, Robin was rewarded with a grin on her face. Her electric, icy eyes were fixed on him now, glistening, almost like the stars above them.

"Miss Wilson?" He said, unable to stop his crawling blush that was now creeping its was down his neck.

"Yes?"

God, her lips looked so soft.

"I... I think..."

Robin took his hand off of his face and placed it onto her shoulder, closing the space between them a bit. A romantic intimacy was in the air. Her face looked so elegant and her hair so glorious under the chilling moonlight.

"I... I think I love you," Robin said, placing a gloved hand on her smooth cheek. His fingers drifted to her neck. He could feel her pulse drumming away.

"Oh, Robin... I love you too," Jade whispered, her voice filled with emotions that he couldn't identify. He could feel his heart blossom with elation.

"You do?" He said.

And for what seemed like an eternity, she answered.

"I do..."

She loves me.

"But..."

But...?

"I... I can't."

Robin felt his heart crumble. "W-why not?" He asked.

"You don't understand. We're too different. W-we can't make this work," Jade said, her eyes filling with regret and pain and empathy.

"S-sure we can! I know that I'm not going to stay at Hollywood forever, but I can always visit you and you can visit me at Jump City!" Robin pushed.

"Robin..."

"... And we can hang out, too! I can take you to all your favorite places!"

"Robin, please..."

"I-I know we can definitely do this, Jade! How hard is being a couple as compared to being friends?"

"Robin, listen to me!"

At this point, Robin realized he couldn't say anything more.

"I-I'm listening."

Jade's beautiful eyes turned to tears. "You don't know me. The real me."

"T-then let me know the real you. I want to get to know you."

"Do you want to know Deathstroke?"

"... S-Slade? What does he have to do with-"

"Ravager?!"

"Rose...? Jade, what are you-"

"Robin, those people... those people that you hate... those people are my family. Don't you see? I CAN'T love you!"

She was standing now, tears pouring from her eyes.

"I'm supposed to hate you. I tried to convince myself that I do. But, you have this annoying tendency to NOT DIE when I need you too!"

"Jade..."

"I'm a villain, Robin! What was all that about a Hero's Code? A hero can't love a villain!"

"It doesn't have to be this way..." Robin whimpered softly. He found that he couldn't find a will to even look at her. "I can help you... if you would just let me..."

"You can't even look at me. You're horrified aren't you? Love isn't just some game! There's a price to pay! And... and look at what it did to me! I tried to love... love someone else and look at what he... he... did..." Jade's voice started shaking. In a flash, Jade was engulfed in a green fire, her body changing and morphing like a twisted game of charades. Standing in her shiny new form, green visor over her eyes, bandana over her mouth, hood over her hair, and two swords in hand, she cried.

"Look at me!" She cried, two blue butterfly wings spreading from her back. "Who would love me now? Robin, tell me!"

Robin's mouth felt dry.

"I would."

Jade trembled.

"Liar."

And that was the last he saw of her before the police came to take her away and lock her in her house until she starved herself and slowly killed herself until she was dead. Her tears were painted on her grave.

"JADE!!" Robin yelled.

"What?! What?!" Jade said, alarmed. "What's wrong?!"

Robin felt like he was having a heart attack. His whole body was trembling and his eyes were wide with tears.

"Oh my God. Jade... You..." He stopped. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to..."

"Richard..." She said softly. "Go back to sleep. It's alright."

"Jade you..."

"Hush. I'm right here."

He could feel a soft hand brush against the side of his face.

"I'm here, Richard."

"Don't leave me."

"Shhhh... I'm not. I'm not. I'm here."

"Jade..."

"Shhh... I'm here... It was just a nightmare... it wasn't real..."

Her sweet voice was calming. He felt himself calm down as her hand tenderly stroked him, like a pet owner calming a scared kitten. Tears still pricked his eyes.

"Go to sleep, Richard."

"T... Thank you..." He said finally, shutting his eyes. In the darkness, he found her hand and held onto it. He could feel her react warmly to him and entwine their fingers together. Her other hand was stroking his face and head, something that he welcomed.

"Thank you, Jade. I'm okay now," He said.

"You sure?" She asked.

"Yes... I'm so sorry... you can go back to sleep, my darling," He said.

But, she didn't leave.


	5. Chapter 4

"You ordered room service?" Robin asked as he sat down in a loveseat, across from his Reformee.

"Yeah. I can't cook for the life of me. I figured you might need it," Jade said, pouring him a cup of coffee. He accepted it graciously.

"Thank you," Robin said. "But, hey, we have to go to meet Mr. Castle today. I'm not too excited about that."

"Why? Scared he'll make you _punish_ me?" Jade said snidely, fluttering her eyelashes with mock flirtation. However, she was met with a glare.

"The thought of _electrocution_ is horrifying to me, Jade," He said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Oh..." Jade's playful expression dropped. She then fiddled with her eggs in response.

"How did you sleep?" Robin asked.

"Eh, it was okay, I guess. You started having a night terror last night so I got a little... freaked out by that," Jade said, her eyes flicking back up at him.

Suddenly, the memory of the previous night struck him.

"You... uh... I woke you up?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

A few moments of silence passed as they took bites of their food.

"Jade, how old are you? You seemed pretty young to be the CEO of Hollywood," Robin asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. Jade grinned.

"I'm 20. Turning 21 in a few months I think. I went to college way earlier than normal kids my age because of my rich background," Jade said, crossing one leg over the other. Her face suddenly paled and she gagged on her food. "Ugh. Sorry."

"That's okay. You need to go to the bathroom?" The super asked.

"I'm fine," Jade replied. "Food is delicious, but I can't tell you how much my body hates it right now."

"You'll get better. You just gotta keep trying because that's what counts," Robin said, giving the older woman a gentle grin. She responded with a small smile that ghosted her lips, just for a moment.

"So... what was your dream about?" Jade asked.

"The what?"

"Your dream. Last night you totally freaked out. I thought you were dying or something," Jade explained, sinking into her chair.

Robin took a precautionary sip of coffee. "It was just a nightmare. I usually have them at home, too."

"Do you usually have them about me?" Jade asked. Robin brought his coffee away from his lips.

"Not until about a month ago, but no," Robin confessed. "My first dream was about you stabbing me, but that's self explanatory." He looked at her and caught her gaze. She looked calm, but interested too.

"What about last night?" She asked, running her fingers through her silky white hair. It looked freshly brushed and bouncy, much unlike two days ago.

"I... I don't really know. I remember a little bit. It was back at Hollywood. You and I were just talking and I said..." He paused, deciding to leave out the exchange of I love you's. "Well, I don't know what happened but you were being taken away by the police and then you were just... gone," Robin finished. He felt a bit breathless, trying to dance his way around the truth.

"There was a little more to it than that. But, uh huh," Jade said.

"I guess it could be taken with a grain of salt, but I don't remember everything that happened," Robin replied, pushing his glasses up his nose.

His Reformee eyed him suspiciously. "You think it was your fault I was arrested?"

"Uh... well..."

"Let me give it to you straight. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't any of the other superheroes' faults and it wasn't even my brother's. It was mine. I chose to be stupid. I chose the path of evil that lead to those events. I stabbed you and everyone in the back, quite literally. It was your job, as a hero, to apprehend me. You did everything right. I was the one who got it wrong, a'ight?" Jade said. "Jeez, dude, how many villains have you put in jail? You should know this by now."

"I do know that but... I just think that you had little to no idea what you were doing," Robin said. He got a weird look from Jade, so he justified his reply. "You said it yourself, didn't you? Your brother was doing all the hard stuff, stealing and leading others off your track and all that. All you were doing was putting together the Doomsday Device, and you had superheroes to do that for you. I really started viewing you as a friend and I think that the feelings were mutual," Robin explained, rubbing his messy hair.

Jade pursed her lips. "I never thought of that... maybe I truly didn't know. I was just so bent out of shape about being the best, I guess I never noticed. Although, I can say it wasn't mutual on the whole friendship thing. In truth, I was just using you and keeping you under... control." She paused and gained a look of apathy. "I... I really messed up. I wish I hadn't let our friendship go down the drain. Stabbing you in the back has to be my biggest regret, even though I've done, regrettably, more horrible things than that," Jade said, her beautiful, deep eyes filling with remorse and sadness.

"Then let's start over. I'm sure we can be friends again. After all, we're stuck together, so why not make the best of it?" Robin suggested, grinning at her with his million dollar smile.

"Alright... Friends."

"Great. So... what's a friend to do for his buddy?" Robin asked.

"... Answer me this... if it's not too sensitive, how did you get that scar?" Jade asked, placing her finger over her right eye and drawing a short, invisible line down her cheek.

"I was little when it happened. Maybe 10 or so? I was at an orphanage and some kids decided to play a prank on me. It went... horribly wrong and they almost stabbed my eye out," Robin said. "But, I like it. Makes me look cool," He grinned.

Jade smiled too, her white teeth peering out from behind her soft pink lips. "I find it hard to believe that you're an orphan. I would think kids like that would be pretty messed up," She said.

"I was for awhile. But, Batman got me therapy and counseling that I needed."

"Oh, yeah, speaking of that, Batman's name is Bruce Wayne, right? So, why aren't you Richard Wayne?" Jade asked.

Robin looked thoughtful for a moment. "I have no idea, actually. Guess I never really thought about that before, darling," He said.

Jade sighed for a moment. "I might need to look into that."

A few moments of silence passed.

"What about you?" Robin asked, sipping his hot coffee. It was halfway done.

"Me?" Jade replied.

"Yeah, you. Any scars?" Robin asked.

"Just a few..." Jade said, her eyes seeming to distinguish any light they had in them. Robin immediately felt bad for asking.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to touch a nerve," He said.

"No, it's fine. I always knew you were going to end up asking about it anyway. And I think I... I think I kind of need to talk about them," Jade said.

"But, you don't have to if you think it's too soon," Robin said.

Jade shook her head. "We're buds now. I think I can trust you to keep my secrets."

The older woman reached down to the ankle without the bracelet on it and pulled up her pant leg. On her leg was a jagged scar that looked almost like claw marks wrapping all the way around her leg, stopping below her knee. "This happened just recently. I actually think it was a few weeks before you arrived in Hollywood. There was an out of control Wolf Man villain... I was just tending to my employees as usual and the Wolf Man snuck up behind me and snagged me right in the leg. I kid you not, it took four superheroes to apprehend that thing. I was checked out by Mighty Med... uh, that's a special hospital for superheroes, and I got my wound disinfected so I wouldn't turn into a werewolf. Pretty crazy huh?" Jade said, putting her leg out for Robin to see. The super looked curiously at the scars.

"May I?" He asked.

"May you... what?" Jade replied.

"Touch it?"

Robin could hardly tell, but he could have sworn that a dash of pink had appeared on her face.

"Sure," Jade said, propping her leg up so that her boot was beside him. Robin placed his fingertips on the red marks and tenderly traced them, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. He could feel Jade's leg tense at his foreign touch, but she didn't resist him.

"Really did a number on you..." Robin muttered under his breath, his fingers running across the side of her calf.

"Yeah, it did," Jade said, pulling her leg back. "I... uh... ahem, so when are you meeting with Mr. Castle? Assuming that I'm coming along with you?" She asked, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear.

Is she blushing?

"In about an hour. I can get ready in like, five minutes so we have a bit of time," Robin said, placing his now empty coffee cup on the table.

Jade pulled her pant leg back down, covering her scar. "M-my scar is pretty badass, no?" She said.

"Yeah, of course it is. Would you like to show me any more?" Robin asked, crossing his ankles politely.

Jade pointed to her cheek. "Knife Fight."

Robin looked closely and saw a small, faded slash in her cheek. It was tiny, so he hadn't noticed it until she had pointed to it.

"You were in a knife fight?"

Jade rolled her eyes. "Are you familiar with the villain called Knife Fight?" Jade asked.

Robin shook his head. "No, never heard of him."

"He was a hairstylist who used to work for me. I fired him when I realized he was stealing funds out from under me. Let's just say... he had a vendetta against me for that. But, he didn't know who he was messing with." She finished by dragging her finger across her throat.

"You killed him?"

"His reign was short lived. He was a rascal. But, no. I just hurt him a bit. The dude couldn't even fight. All I know is that he just became an internet meme," Jade said, her boot tapping against Robin's shoe.

Robin's heart fluttered a bit as he remembered when she did that back at Hollywood when they hung out.

"If he's a meme, then I have no clue how Beast Boy hasn't spammed me with him for months by now," Robin said.

Their breakfasts were now finished, only minor crumbs left on their plates. Jade scooped the dirty plates up and brought them to the sink. "Room service will take care of these, right?" She asked.

"Think so, my darling," Robin replied, his eyes following her across the room.

"Hey, if you're going to call me your darling, then you can at least give me some warning," Jade said, placing the dishes in the sink. She giggled. "It's flattering. Do you go around your house calling your roommates your darlings?"

"Actually, yes. It's how I tell them that I am not upset," Robin said, crossing his leg over the other. "My darling."

"You're milking it now," Jade said, sitting back across from him. "Unless you want to just call me your love or something?" She teased.

"Well, I could if you wanted."

"No, no," Jade chuckled, waving her hands. "I'm joking. Just joking."

Robin and Jade both shared a laugh, but then Robin's phone rang.

"Hey, Robin! I just want you to know that I'll be ready for you soon! Get your Reformee ready to leave!" Mr. Castle said over the phone. Before Robin could say anything, the man just hung up.

"Wow, okay," Robin grumbled at the man's rudeness. "I'd better go take a shower. Could you wait out here for me?" Robin requested.

"Sure. Not like I can go anywhere," Jade said, pointing to the bracelet sensors on the doors and windows.

"I can imagine why security would be a little tight around here. And... uh, I'm going to put on your nullifying cuffs. I have a feeling that Mr. Castle would probably be peeved if you weren't wearing them," Robin said, giving Jade a friendly punch on the shoulder.

The older woman frowned. "I don't think I like him."

Robin sighed. "I agree, honestly." He adjusted his glasses and got up to go to the shower. As he crossed the room, Jade's eyes followed him, watching the way he moved.

Ugh, I've got to stop doing that. He's not my enemy anymore. I don't need to study him like a psychopath. Stupid bad habits... The Ex-villain thought, slouching in her chair. She took a deep breath.

He's my... boss..? I am supposed to be his sidekick now, right? I'm so confused. I need more details.

When Robin got out of the shower, he put on his supersuit. He hesitated before putting his mask over his eyes. It had gotten to the point where his scar had just started looking normal to him. It had been almost nine years, after all. It looked okay.

"Richard?" Jade called from down the hallway.

"Yeah?" It had been twenty minutes since they last spoke.

"There's this weird person texting you," The Reformee responded, to which Robin came out of the enclosure.

Jade was now laying draped out on the couch, holding onto a pillow with her head resting on the arm of the couch. The TV was on, displaying some mindless sitcom. Robin's phone was buzzing like crazy with texts. He had a good idea of who it was. He picked it up and his suspicions were confirmed.

"I thought I blocked her number," the super mumbled, before quickly blocking the person sending the creepy messages.

"Who was it?"

"My creepy ex... well... she wasn't even my girlfriend. She just told everyone she was dating me and the media kind of... went nuts," Robin explained.

"What's her name?" Jade asked, disinterest in her voice.

"Kitten."

"Wow. Sounds like a real monster."

"She doesn't sound like much, but last year, she tried to frame Starfire for a diamond heist," Robin said, sitting next to Jade on the couch. Jade's hair was partly covering her face, but Robin could see her eyes were closed. "You tired?"

"Yeah, but I'm... just thinking about what you said to me," Jade said, giving the pillow a small squeeze. "I really... really did not know what I was doing. I could be back in Hollywood, still rich, still free, still adored by many, but now... I'm not. I'm just... stuck here," She explained, her breath coming out like she had just been coming to that revelation.

"But, no matter how hard you try, you can't take back the past. It's frustrating, I know. But, eventually, you will be forgiven," Robin said, giving Jade's shoulder a rub. The woman replied by opening her eyes to look at him.

"Oh, Jesus, I almost forgot how dorky your costume looked," Jade said, a smile piercing her lips.

Robin frowned at her. "It's not dorky. It's heroic," He corrected, to which Jade's body shook with a laugh.

"Yeah, sure. Heroic," She giggled. Robin couldn't stay mad at her. Her laugh was adorable and her smile was beautiful.

"We should probably get going. Do you remember where I left your cuffs?" Robin asked.

"On the counter. But, you knew that," Jade said, suddenly blushing when he gave her a weird look. "Sorry. I notice a lot of things."

"How did you know that I knew?"

"I noticed that you looked over at the counter and there was a flash of recognization behind your eyes... err, your mask," Jade explained. "It makes me feel like a stalker... sorry."

"No. That's actually a pretty useful gift. You should put it to good use," Robin replied, walking over to the kitchen and getting the cuffs off the table. Jade turned the TV off and let Robin cuff her.

"I should make a new outfit for you," Jade hummed, letting Robin lead her out the door.

"Maybe. Can't guarantee that I'll wear it," Robin said. Jade gave him a gentle nudge.

"You will. It'll be awesome. It'll totally scream your name," Jade said, grinning happily at the thought of making a new outfit for the super. Her heart blossomed as she thought about stitching, sewing, and measuring.

"You enjoy making outfits?" Robin asked, noticing the grin on her face.

"Oh, Richard, I love it. It was one of the best things about Hollywood, aside from directing and bossing people around. It was amazing! Although, I don't think I'll be designing superhero costumes anytime soon," She explained, her eyes filling with joy at the memories but then to doubt and emptiness.

"This settles it then. You're making me a new outfit," Robin said, which caused Jade to beam again. Suddenly there was a spring in her step. He didn't know how to describe how happy it made him.

Mr. Castle was standing by the window, peering out to the city below.

"Mr. Castle, sir? Mr. Grayson is here with Miss Wilson."

"Thank you, Graves. Please send them in," Mr. Castle responded to the man who opened the door. Graves stepped aside, allowing the super and his Reformee into the room.

"Hello, Robin! Hello, Miss Wilson!" Mr. Castle greeted. "Might I say, you are looking so strapping in that suit!"

"Thank you, Sir," Robin replied, smiling.

"Now, uh, as I am sure we have previously discussed before, we are going to give a further input on... you know," Mr. Castle said. "But! Before we do anything, Mr. Graves is going to take Jade to the Lab."

"Wait, what? Lab?" Robin mirrored, his body filling with dread as the thought of Jade being experimented on sent chills down his spine.

"Don't worry 'bout a thing. We're just going to run a few tests on her and get some measurements to see if we can get 'er back to her... Uh... original weight," Mr. Graves said, scratching his chin. He gently placed a hand on Jade's back and began escorting her out of the room. Jade gave a gentle, reassuring look to Robin, who felt a bit at ease.

"Okay! Now, let's discuss Miss Wilson's... ahem... punishments."

"About that, sir... I don't think I'd like to give her an electric shock," Robin interrupted, which made Castle's eyebrow arch.

"A true hero's instinct!" Castle declared. "But, I'm sure you know that if a villain gets too unruly, the electric shock is the default that is available to you. However, there are many more things about punishments we need to discuss."

"So, how pointless was it?" Jade asked the super as he stepped out of the dressing room. He was now wearing a nice outfit instead of his supersuit.

"It wasn't completely pointless. He gave me some useful pointers on dos and don'ts," Robin said, replacing his mask with his glasses.

"So, pretty pointless?"

"Yep."

The ex-villain was lounging on the pink couch, her body spread across it in an uncaring way. She stood up as Robin made his way towards the door, his superhero outfit in his bag. She followed him out of the shop.

"So, we've got a few hours left. Want to go to a movie?" Robin asked, to which Jade smiled a bit.

"Yeah, sure. As long as it's not a superhero movie," She joked, to which Robin grinned at her.

"I'll let you pick, darling," Robin said, giving the woman a sly wink. She nudged him, giggling. It felt good now that there was no longer an edge between them.


	6. 5

Chapter Five

The Group Chat is now open! Start talking!

**Robin:** Hey guys. How are you hanging?

Robin fired his first text into the group chat. He had talked to Aqualad over the phone a few times already and had been texting back and fourth with Cyborg. Apparently, Slade was a pretty chill dude, and from what Jade had told him, he almost believed it. Almost.

**420BeastMan69:** Wassup!!

Robin looked back down at his phone screen when it buzzed. He figured Beast Boy's text wasn't worth actually responding to. It drew attention to the woman standing next to him, actually. Jade was just standing there, with him.

Truthfully, Jade was so glad she was here. Just, next to him. It gave her a feeling of companionship. He wasn't saying it, but she somehow knew that he felt the same. She knew that she would be completely alone if it weren't for him, as of now.

She noticed Robin was looking at her from the corner of his eye every so often, momentarily shifting his attention away from his phone screen.

"...What? Do you think I'm going to walk off?" She joked, friendlily. Robin chuckled.

"No, not at all. I guess I'm just kind of anxious," He quipped, tucking away his phone into his pocket, like it suddenly didn't matter to him any more.

"Anxious?" Jade replied.

"Well... as you know, my team is uh... working on your brother, like I am to you. And I guess I... well... sometimes they can be quite irritating." Robin had tried hard to select his words carefully.

"I'm pretty sure that Aqualad is having a harder time than my brother. He loves kids, surprisingly," Jade said, watching the road carefully. She was just about to say something else when a black limousine pulled up near to them. It honked.

"Our ride's here," Robin said, giving Jade a soft smile. She smiled back.

Once in the vehicle, Jade kicked off her heels. There were red marks around each of her ankles, from the shoes rubbing her skin.

"So... uh... how'd you like the movie?" She said awkwardly.

"It was... interesting... I personally prefer my movies directed by Miss Jade Wilson herself," Robin chuckled, watching as a happy grin came to his reformee's face.

When they got back to the hotel room, Jade sighed and laid down on the couch.

"Sleepy today?" Robin asked, checking that the time was only 4 in the afternoon.

"Yeah... Can't stop the sleepy," Jade murmured, face in one of the throw pillows.

"If you need a nap, feel free," Robin said.

"Thanks," Jade replied, not even looking up, her voice muffled by the pillow. Robin entered the kitchen, watching his phone anxiously.

StarFireFire3: Hello Robin! We are doing fine! How are you?

Robin replied quickly, feeling slightly elated that it had been Starfire to text back. He didn't say that though, but he did tell everyone that Jade was making wonderful progress.

Robin and Jade had just gotten back from a rather heart-jerking horror movie. He knew he was going to have a rather tough time sleeping tonight. Jade, on the other hand, was completely out. She had been hit with a wave of tiredness halfway through the movie. It was only 4 but she was really agitated on top of being sleepy. She wasn't sure when she started drifting, but she was suddenly awoken by her friend. Even if it was dark outside, the lights of the city could easily leave someone confused. 'How long was I asleep?'

"Jade?" Robin asked, looking down at her from his superhero outfit.

"Yeah?" She blinked in confusion.

"I'm going out. Do you want to stay here alone?" He asked.

Too tired to deal with the effort of anything, she shut her eyes again. "Yeah."

"Alright, I'll be back tonight," Robin replied. There was a jingle of keys and the opening and closing of a door.

Jade laid motionless for a while, thinking about nothing, before the exchange from a few minutes ago cane swirling into her mind.

Robin had went out in Gotham, a city high in crime, in his superhero outfit, at night, alone.

She sat up on the couch, suddenly feeling sick. Maybe it was the movie she had watched. Maybe it was the tiredness. Regardless, she stretched her legs and stood up.

Gotham was dangerous year 'round. All day, all night. Batman had his origin story here. As did Robin himself.

"... Great," She murmured to herself as she crossed the room, eyeing the sensor on the door. Even if Robin was still in the hotel, she wouldn't be able to go after him without getting brutally shocked. _'That can't be legal...'_ She thought.

She felt a bit worried but she didn't know why. This city was often unpredictable and it couldn't go one night with at least about 5 murders, and that was the bare minimum.

Jade went to explore the kitchen to occupy herself. There wasn't much she could do besides make a snack and watch TV and just hope that her friend would be okay.

"He's a superhero... he'll be fine," Jade reminded herself before reaching into a cupboard and pulling out a bag of pretzels. She poured them into a bowl and went to the fridge to get some dip.

Sitting back down on the couch, she grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. She flipped through a few channels and tried to find something she would like. She was just about to give up and switch to Netflix when a movie caught her attention.

In this movie, called _"Dancing With Danger,"_ an intern from an engineering company had a run in with a dangerous villain that was well know in the fictional city. Her name was Danger, hence the cheesy name of the movie. It was a romance movie and it was clear that these two were going to end up in the love zone.

When the intern bumped into the villain, he had been forced to work at night and was the only one there. He hadn't been expecting to find Danger breaking into the vault to try and steal documents and blue prints for her evil plan. As cliché as it was, it was kind of interesting.

Obviously, Jade was picking holes in the plot. What kind of intern was asked to say overnight? Why did this place have literally no security guards? Yeah, there were cameras that Danger had to take out, but why did no one notice they were offline? Even with these judgements Jade had in the opening act, she was still remotely invested.

Danger and the intern, (whose name was Peter apparently... Jade had missed the first few minutes of the movie.) somehow fell into a weird, romantic tension after she had pinned him to the wall to subdue him.

Later, after Peter had managed to get away from the villain's clutches after narrowly and quite impossibly escaping, he decided to not go to the police. He was the one who had, in an act of cowardice, let Danger take information as to not be killed. He didn't want to be fired because he really needed to job experience, which Jade called bullshit on but moved past it when the movie took an interesting turn.

Peter bumped into Danger again after he accidentally walked into her hideout. She was going to kill him because he had been a witness not only to her crime but now he was in her base, but decided not to when she realized he could be useful.

Danger revealed to him her plans, which Jade regarded as an all-around bad move. She then started using him as her errand boy, and as long as he did as he was told, she wouldn't kill him.

It was a slow burn, but Peter and Danger began to fall in love. Jade felt a bit odd watching Peter slowly turn to the dark side as Danger encouraged him to steal from the place he worked for. It was like a contrast to her own life. Robin has turned her to the good side, with less romance and more friendship.

_'... Less romance... right...' _She thought, feeling a little unsatisfied. She then pushed these feelings into the back of her mind and began to look up reviews of the movie. It was loved by the younger audiences (teens and young adults) but hated by the older. It made Jade curious about who directed the movie.

Sam Cutler. Yeah, she knew him. This was the man who replaced her. A guy that was about as old as she was, new to Hollywood. She had to give him credit- this movie was cheesy, but pretty good.

The one thing that Jade could've done without, however, was the kiss-almost-sex scene. Danger Peter got into a pretty rough kiss and he even dominated her, which once again, Jade called bullshit on, because she definitely would have topped. Peter got to remove Danger's mask and asked for her name. Her real name.

_"Gwen." _

_"I love you, Gwen." _

_"I love you too, Peter... Please stay with me." _

_"I will." _

The next part was of them snuggling in bed in the morning, which Jade actually thought was pretty cute, if not kind of lewd because of the implication that they had sex. But, well, Jade was too invested in the movie to turn it off now.

She watched all the way to the end and it was a pretty cool if not unorthodox ending. Danger and Peter were stopped by some superheroes and Peter managed to help his lover escape. There wasn't a happy ending. They were broken, defeated, and shattered. But they were together.

Peter wiped a tear from Danger's eye as he told her that they would try again and the next time, they would rule the world. The movie ended with them sharing a kiss in the light of the rising sun after a battle that had taken all night.

It wasn't Jade's favorite movie, but it was certainly a very good watch. Peter reminded her of Robin, but she couldn't imagine him having someone like Danger as a lover. She could tell she wasn't his type. Well... maybe, just maybe he'd go for the seductive villain type.

_'Why am I even thinking about this?' _Jade thought, rolling her eyes at her own mental debate.

Her snacks were long finished and the credits were rolling. She sighed as she looked at the clock. Almost midnight and Robin wasn't back yet. Maybe he would've liked this movie. He enjoyed the horror movie they watched together... maybe they could have more movie nights?

Still, she couldn't help but worry about him now.

...

Robin looked down at his watch. Crap, he was late. Who knew that going out to buy a poster that Jade liked would result in stopping at least 4 muggings?

He quickly made his way to the hotel, jumping along rooftops with the poster under his arm. He paused when he received a text from Aqualad.

_"How long do you plan on being in Gotham? I might not be able to stay as a reserve for much longer." _

Robin half wanted to text Aqualad back a cold _"You know you have nothing better to do,"_ but decided against it.

_"For a few more weeks... hang in there." _

He put his phone back into his pocket and hurried back to his and Jade's room. When he unlocked the door, the place was dark, minus the forever glowing air-freshener illuminating a bit of space above the bookshelf.

Robin put it together that Jade was asleep in her room. He checked the tracker on his wrist and saw that, yes indeed, she was where she was supposed to be. Just to make sure, however, he poked his head into her room. There she was, sleeping on her stomach, in bed.

Jade was curled up, holding a throw pillow in her arms, her head rested on a white, fluffy one. The covers were over her sleeping figure, hugging her body warmly.

Robin quietly went into her room quietly as to avoid waking her up and placed the poster on her bed for her to see in the morning. He pulled the covers over her shoulders and tip-toed out of the room. He hoped she slept well.


End file.
